AN EDEN town could soon be set to produce the latest generation of Olympic stars thanks to a National Lottery grant worth nearly £1m.

The fund-raising drive for a state-of-the-art sport facility for Appleby has entered its final lap with the announcement of a £988,000 grant.

Over the past two years, Appleby residents have been working to raise the estimated £1.4m needed to create a brand-new, purpose-built sports hall in the town.

Money has been raised through a variety of grants including £300,000 from Eden District Council, £40,000 from Appleby Town Council and grants from a variety of other bodies.

The town's efforts have now been rewarded with the lottery fund grant leaving only £60,000 to be raised towards the project's total cost.

The lottery bid was put together by the Appleby Alliance - which includes representatives from Appleby Town Council and chamber of trade and other local groups.

Eric Wooff, chairman of Appleby Alliance, described his reaction to the news as a mixture of "relief and delight." He said that tenders for the work would go out in the next week.

"It is something that the town really needs, it is going to be tremendous and will give a sense of community togetherness," he said.

The new hall will be built at Appleby Grammar School and will include facilities for badminton, netball, volleyball, five-a-side football, trampolining, yoga and table tennis. In the future there may also be a floodlit, outdoor sports area.

The final £60,000 is to be raised by members of the local community and Mr Wooff anticipated that the money would be gathered quickly.

Keith Scott, assistant head teacher at Appleby Grammar School, was "delighted" at the news. He said the project would provide excellent opportunities for post-16 education and praised the work of everyone involved in the project.

"We are delighted as a school but very grateful to the input of the Appleby Alliance who put the bid together. As a school we are thrilled to bits to have such a large and modern facility."

The facilities will serve surrounding areas as well as Appleby, and will be available for all groups ranging from Age Concern to local primary schools.

Gary Peyton, sports development officer for Kirkby Stephen College, hoped the sports hall would benefit the whole of Eden.